Dubai: Tsegaye Mekonnen Asefa enjoyed a fairytale race as the 18-year-old from Ethiopia became the youngest ever to win the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon men’s event on Friday.

Asefa finished in a time of 2 hours 4 minutes 32 seconds to lead an Ethiopian clean sweep ahead of compatriots Markos Geneti (second in 2:05:13) and Girmay Birhanu Gebru (third in 2:05:49).

The fourth and fifth places were also clinched by Ethiopians, with Tamirat Tola Adera finishing in 2:06:17, followed by Azmeraw Bekele Molaign in 2:07:12.

But the Ethiopian women did even better. They clinched the first nine positions, with Mulu Seboka winning in 2:25:01. Seboka was followed by Meselech Melkamu Haileyesus in 2:25:23 and Firehiwot Dado was third in 2:25:53.

The race began at 7am, with the runners making their way past iconic buildings such as the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Mosque, Madinat Jumeirah and Union House before reaching the finish line on Umm Suqeim Road close to the Dubai Police Academy.

13 comments

The invasion of the GREEN FLOOD.
ARENGUADEW GORF is back!
This time our athletes literally flooded the course, and look what an impressive result they got. 1st place to 8th in men’s marathon, and 1st to 9th in the women’s.
Of course it happened to be quiet a smart investment to send all of these athletes and give’em a chance to compete. Looks like all of them are in the prize range.
Not so long ago, our great marathon legends in the early 80s, the likes of, Belaynhe Densamo, Abebe Mekonen, Derege Nedi, Kebede Balcha, etc. Must have been the unlucky ones for not having a chance to compete where the money was. Because of the ideology and belief of the dergue regime, most of the time they were not allowed to run where they could earn big money. The biggest money prized marathon I could remember was, one in Montreal, Canada a ten thousand dollars, which btw was limited invitation to Kebede Balcha, who won it every year for some times.

In Saudi Arabia they are targeting Ethiopians and committing gruesome and in human act against them including gang raping in day light in front of their children, husband and anyone around, killing, beating, putting them in concentration camp and forced them to leave the country without having anything including confiscated their mobile phones despite there are still more than 9 million foreign workers in the country which is more than 1.5 millions are Egyptians. We also know what kind role these Egyptians immigrants did play and still do including those working in the media and other sectors spreading lies in the Saudi media and society with aim they become hostile against Ethiopians. What happened and still is happening against innocent Ethiopians in that desert place will be always remembered in the history book.

Yet, Ethiopians are the winners as usual. Have you seen any Saudi man or woman in any sport activities in international level let alone they become winners? Only the slaves and regarded as immigrants are sometimes coming in the athletic or any sport world representing that evil Kingdom. They are not fit for any sport. Look at them with their dressing code. It is not for someone who is free and happy but evil using that backward dress to hide something she/he is ashamed of. Including degraded body and ugly shape as most of them are fat and short.

The innocent and good people of Ethiopia is still praying, asking and waiting to see the worse form of suffering in that evil desert that is breathing for its existence only through oil and gas while polluting the environment and financing sunni/wahabi terrorism all over the world.

Congratulations to all our Marathon runners Ah…Thank you all
Dubai was a noname town 20 years ago, but now suddenly wants to be on par with cities such as Chicago, Seoul or New York City plus Beautiful City located in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf. Currently, they have the world’s largest indoor ski facility, third largest mall, some of the world’s most beautiful architecture, tallest/best hotel on earth Burj al Arab hotel, The worlds only seven star hotel. Located in Dubai, united arab emrates. entrance fee just to see the hotel costs 75 dollars Burj Al Arab is a unique hotel and way more. Basically, the city went from desert to world city in 7 years, from 1999 to present day 2006. By 2012, they have the worlds largest: Theme park, tallest building (Burj Dubai) Huge and crazy projects are being built, like the Burj Dubai. It will be 900 metres (3 times the Eiffel Tower) high. , Mall. Also by 2012, they have the world’s only UNDERWATER hotel. In short, this city is amazing, regardless of the bias against the region.
I’m doing my Anthropology paper on the city of Dubai. There is nothing like it; it went from desert to world city in under 10 years!!

Where rich people go to flaunt their wealth Bill Gates has a house in Dubai. They all do. And Donald Trump’s wet dream…
Donald: OMG, Dubai is sooo sexy!!! Almost there…

Dubai it’s not for the reason that of oil
Woyanne 23 years development claimed to help the community, but just brought food price volatility, food crisis and the destruction of all the country people life

Ethiopia people ‘all day they dream about bread’
Ethiopia people ‘all day they dream about bread’
Ethiopia people ‘all day they dream about bread’

I want you to remember a long time ago what did he say? What was it he said? “I like all Ethiopian people have 3 meals a day vs. all-day snacking” I love reading comics and I love a variety of comedians like MELESE ZENAWI

Ethiopian People.. Were poor not because they were stupid or lazy. They worked all day long, doing complex physical tasks. They were poor because the financial institution in the country did not help them widen their economic base the woyanne government controlling, scheming, and monitoring everything like azeb mesfin the root of all evil.

Adgi ,what about your own Ethno Mafia Firm
which trying to extort the Athletes on the late Olympic Game .And finally finished with the worst Athletism Results ever scored on such games . Where the Kenyans took all the medals . While many of these Young Athlètes are obliged to run
for foreign countrues by changing their nationality .Afterall ,GREAT JOB TSEGAYE WITH YOUR FRIENDS !!!!!AHUNEM BERTU !!!!!!!

People may think that I’m a supporter of “wayyaane"(tplf) or any other political party, but the truth is I’m a firmly opponent of any evil idea or party which runs blinded propaganda against any past or preset regime/government of Ethiopia. Nothing is absolutely bad or good.Everything relatively has its own bad and goods. Every past or present Ethiopia’s government leaders, political activists, or procedures, policies etc have their own qualities based on different perspectives, one of which is or could be sport. Lets see how sport , specially athletics started and kept on flourishing from the past to present. Let’s compare the progress in every single government’s period of sport(athletics) policies, activities or performances on national and international basis. Let’s not be a blindly compliant and attach every evil, or weakness to the present government. If you like, go back and see our country’s athletics performance starting from Abebe Bikila to present on any measurements you like. In quality or quantity. Specially, in the past 20 years of Ethiopia’s athletics performance we can see drastic change as compared to the past 30-40 years of the country’s athletics achievement. I can say never in the history of the world’s athletics that an economically and technologically under developed country like ours achieved what Ethiopia did internationally in the past couple of decades. Even economically or technologically developed countries did not perform what Ethiopia performed in 5, 000m 10,000m and Marathon. Some time ego I read somebody writing( on this website) because Ethiopian runners are poor they are running and are winning to get out of poverty.It is not true. The truth is they are running even after they became milliner or more. The writer said this to degrade the government’s support to athletes. Today’s achievement in Dubai is not something came out of the blue moon. Every body including the athletes and any concerned bodies have been working hard. Let’s not always attach poetical issues to athletics, even though the system’s contribution to athletics development can have a great deal of effect.